Change
by Deandra
Summary: Elfwine isn’t allowed to see his sick mother. Fluffy little ONESHOT. Part 9 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


**_Part 9 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots, of which there will definitely be three, but MIGHT be more if I come up with more ideas._**

_A/N: Thanks to all who passed along information on six year olds, especially dragonfly who actually has one (and who looked this over for me to make sure I got it somewhat right)! It helped to get several different perspectives on them. I may end up doing more than one pregnancy-related story, but here is the first. Hope it satisfies all who requested this topic! I thought at least one of the Elfwine Chronicles ought to be from Elfwine's POV!_

**Change**

**(May, 8 IV) **

Mama was sick, and they wouldn't let me see her. My nurse, Daelwyn, got me up and dressed, saw that I ate my morning meal, but then she kept saying I had to play quietly and leave Mama alone. I couldn't even go outside to play because it was raining, so Daelwyn kept me in my room all day. After awhile I got really bored with playing by myself, and I began to wonder why they wouldn't let me see Mama. Maybe she was dying...

I couldn't help it – I started crying, and couldn't stop. Finally Daelwyn went and got Papa. I was afraid he would be angry with me for not being a big boy, but I wanted to see Mama and be sure she was all right. Papa came and I couldn't tell if he was upset or not, but he picked me up and sat in a chair. For awhile he just held me. Then, as I stopped crying a little, he asked, "Why are you crying, Elfwine? What is the matter?"

"Daelwyn won't let me see Mama," I sniffled. "I think she might be dying!"

Papa seemed to want to laugh, but he managed not to and just hugged me close. "No, Mama is not dying. You do not need to worry."

"Then what is wrong with her?" I asked.

He seemed to think for a long time and then he told me, "Remember when Eothain took you to see the foal being born?"

I nodded and he continued, "Mama is going to have a baby, too. Sort of like that mare. Only with Mama, before she has the baby, sometimes she gets sick and does not feel very good. That is what is wrong with her."

I thought about this for a moment, then questioned, "Is the baby inside her belly like the foal was?"

Papa nodded, and I asked, "When will it be born?"

"It takes a long time for babies to be born. We have to wait about another six months or so."

"Will Mama be sick all that time! Will I not get to see her!"

Papa smiled, "No, hopefully, she will not be sick all that time. And you will get to see her when she is feeling better."

I laid my head on Papa's chest and thought about what he had told me. Finally, I declared firmly, "I do not want a baby! I want Mama back. Can you make the baby get out of Mama's belly?"

Papa chuckled and answered, "No, once the baby is in there I cannot make it leave. We just have to wait for it to be born."

I scowled; I thought Papa could do anything! After all, he is the King!

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Well, make it a boy baby! I do not want a girl around here!"

Papa rubbed his chin before saying, "I am afraid we do not get to choose, Elfwine. Just like with the foals, we take what we are given. But I had a sister, and they really are not so bad once you get used to them." He gave a strange smile when he said that, and I was not convinced.

I laid back against his chest. "So, when can I see Mama?" I was starting to feel sad again.

Papa kissed my head, "How about now? I think Mama would like to see you, too. But we will not stay very long so she can rest, all right?"

I eagerly slid off his lap, "All right!"

As we made our way toward Mama's room, I smiled to myself. Maybe I could get Mama to make the baby go away. Sometimes she could do things Papa couldn't...

THE END

****

End note: It is not essential that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written, but there is an advantage to doing so. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order (#15 came after #17, I think), but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.


End file.
